Power operated rotary knives are widely used in meat processing facilities for meat cutting and trimming operations. Power operated rotary knives also have application in a variety of other industries where cutting and/or trimming operations need to be performed quickly and with less effort than would be the case if traditional manual cutting or trimming tools were used, e.g., long knives, scissors, nippers, etc. By way of example, power operated rotary knives may be effectively utilized for such diverse tasks as taxidermy; cutting and trimming of elastomeric or urethane foam for a variety of applications including vehicle seats; and tissue removal or debriding in connection with medical/surgical procedures and/or tissue recovery from a body of a human or animal donor.
Power operated rotary knives typically include a handle assembly, a rotary knife blade, and a blade housing for rotatably supporting the rotary knife blade. The handle assembly includes an elongated frame member, which receives a hand grip, and a head assembly extending from the frame member. The head assembly includes a head member that defines a mounting region for detachably mounting the blade housing and blade to the handle assembly. The head member also defines a cavity to support a gear train for rotatably driving the rotary knife blade. The frame member supports the hand grip which is grasped by an operator and used to manipulate the power operated rotary knife. A power operated rotary knife is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,662,452 to Whited. The '452 patent is assigned to the assignee of the present application and is incorporated herein, in its entirety, by reference.
Animal intestines, specifically the small intestines of mammals such as cattle, swine, sheep, etc., are highly valued as a source of human nutrition in certain countries. In order to process animal small intestines for human consumption, the small intestine, which is an elongated, cylindrical shaped tissue, must be separated from the mesentery tissue that supports the small intestines within the abdominal cavity of the animal. The mesentery tissue overlies and adheres to the outer surface of the small intestine tissue. In addition to mesentery tissue, fat tissue in the abdominal cavity will often be intertwined with the mesentery tissue and the intestines. Thus, a conglomeration of material removed from the abdominal cavity of an animal will include intertwined small intestine tissue, mesentery tissue and fat tissue. During processing of the conglomeration of material, it is desired to separate both the mesentery tissue and fat tissue from the small intestine tissue. Traditionally, an end of the small intestine is attached to a spinning wheel which pulls the intestine tissue through a processing station. At the processing station, workers using long knives or razors to separate the mesentery tissue and fat tissue from the small intestine. Such manual separation and removal of the mesentery tissue and fat tissue from the intestine is a laborious, time-consuming task. Additionally, the operator must have sufficient skill when using a knife or razor to avoid cutting the intestine. Blades and razors must repeatedly be sharpened or replaced, depending on the nature of the knife or razor used—whether disposable or sharpenable.
Certain manufacturers offer specialized intestine processing machines designed to separate mesentery tissue from animal small intestines. However, these machines typically are expensive, require significant space in the meat processing facility and require ongoing maintenance. Additionally, such specialized machines typically require by-hand manipulation of the small intestines as they are being fed into the machine.
Potentially, a power operated rotary knife, wherein the rotary knife blade rotates at 1000 RPM or more, could facilitate separation and/or removal of mesentery tissue and fat tissue from intestine tissue and thereby make the processing of intestines less labor intensive and, at the same time, require less operator skill during processing. Additionally, a power operated rotary knife is compact, requiring little plant or facility space and is relatively inexpensive and easy to maintain, as compared to specialized intestine processing machines.